Have you read the book, THE IDIOT by Dostoevsky?

Question

Is so, what is your opinion on it?
Is it likely to wound your mind & feelings?
Will it have a negative impact on you?

Answer 1

iam reading it now.so far a very good book.iam between pages 200&250 now.i know people who considers it the best of dostoevsky's works.in a poll conducted by guardian among 100 noted writers from 54 countries it was 1 of the top 100 books ever written.4 of dosto's works(k brothers,c&p,idiot&demons) were there in the list.dostoevsky consid it his best.some who find
myshkin's goodness hard to take might dislike it.i know 2 people like myshkin.the trans of richard pevear&larissa volokhovsky is the best though const garnett is also good.the novel surely cant have a neg impact

Answer 2

OMG YES, I've read it. It took me like 6 months to finish it, I'm not proud to say. First of all, I love Dostoevsky and I adored 'Crime and Punishment.' But 'The Idiot' was an entirely different story - honestly, the only reason I finished it was out of spite for the damn book...it became a personal challenge to finish the most irritating book I think I've ever read!

Now, the whole book is supposedly full of symbolism, 'the idiot' is supposed to represent Christ (I've been told), and he gets tossed around and kind of screwed by the rich, fancy people he associates with. But he's a total simpleton who is SO NAIVE, it's annoying!! Truly an 'idiot' in the modern sense of the word, although in the story, the 'idiot' term refers to his epilepsy. In the end I had no sympathy for him whatsoever, and that's pretty strange, given that he's the sensitive protagonist, you know?

Now I've read critics that say that Dostoevsky had a really warped idea of women characters, and that the women he wrote about were way off kilter with reality. I agree. The women in 'The Idiot' were all wishy-washy, either super over-emotional (to the point of hysterical), or they were calculating vixen types. His stereotypes of women (I think) probably reflect some weird personal issues he had. The women in this book were so unpredictable that it made it seem ridiculous and unrealistic. And TEDIOUS.

But hey, I'm no expert on Russian lit, this is just what I felt when I read it. The advice I'd give is: don't read it (or any Dostoevsky) in the summertime. Those Russians like it cold and bleak and you should go with the theme when reading. If you haven't read it yet, go with Crime and Punishment. Or if you are a bit sophisticated, I must recommend Nabokov's Lolita. He was a Russian but Lolita was written in English. This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's also a perfect summertime read.

Answer 3

Not yet

Answer 4

no